Whirring noise from ICE

[lolder]

It's a bearing quality or lubrication problem. It's a "Sword of Damocles" hanging over all those models.

[Goopyguy56]

Who knows. Ford seems to be silent on the cause of the issue.

[sschnath]

Be mindful that only the upset tend to post. The happy customers find other things to do with their time than post superlatives to a forum.

 

2013 here, near 80k miles. Quiet as a mouse, and by far the best car I ever bought. No Toyota in my future.

 

Oh, that's what I thought at 80k! 95k too! Not so much at 100k... Still, there was no Toyota in my future, either.

 

My '14 was pretty quiet until about 100K miles. Really noticed it this morning in the cabin (windows up) at 139K. That being said, I'm not sure the noise I started this post about is the same noise brobeo was experiencing.

 

If his problem is related to the TSB mentioned in one of the other posts then my situation may be different and hopefully not transmission related.

 

The TSB says the noise will not be made when the car is in park or neutral. Mine does make the sound when it's in park. I will try to make a clip of the noise over the next few days and post it here for reference.

 

Any ideas on where I can get specifics on what's connected to fuse 12?

 

Does anyone on the forum have a '13/'14 hybrid with 200K on it yet?

 

By the time my daughter gets this car it will have ~180K on it. Was hoping to get her through the last 3 years of high school with it and not have a major powertrain-related repair -- she'll likely end high school with ~ 210K. I'm currently putting on about 40K/yr at 90-95% highway use. She'll be ~10K yr or less and 99% city.

 

I was using our Chrysler (non-hybrid) minivan as a benchmark which is over 200K now and the original transmission is still going strong. Was hoping that if the Chrysler could make it that far the Ford could do as well or better. Obviously not an apples to apples comparison with regard to the powertrain but was thinking about in terms of overall build quality.

[lolder]

Have the check engine and other warning lights gone out? You talked about the generator earlier. The "Generator" is one of the two big motor/generators that are part of the transmission. It controls the transmission ratio which is continuously variable. It can act as a a motor or a generator turning in either direction while controlling the transmission. Sometimes it is not turning at all when the car is in motion or when parked and the ICE is off. In "P", you can make the ICE start by pushing down on the go peddle about 1/3. You can vary the rpm a little by pushing the peddle to the floor. When you do that does the noise sync with the RPM? I think only Ford may be able to diagnose this.

[Goopyguy56]

I have seen a few 13 and 2014 models for sale with over 200,000 miles on them. Not sure if they have the original tranny on them.

[sschnath]

Have the check engine and other warning lights gone out? You talked about the generator earlier. The "Generator" is one of the two big motor/generators that are part of the transmission. It controls the transmission ratio which is continuously variable. It can act as a a motor or a generator turning in either direction while controlling the transmission. Sometimes it is not turning at all when the car is in motion or when parked and the ICE is off. In "P", you can make the ICE start by pushing down on the go peddle about 1/3. You can vary the rpm a little by pushing the peddle to the floor. When you do that does the noise sync with the RPM? I think only Ford may be able to diagnose this.

 

Yes, the lights all went out on their own. Everything is working properly, just not as quietly as I would like! And yes, the noise syncs with the RPMs and it's always present when the ICE is running.There's a very slight delay (less than 1/2 sec) when the engine first turns on and the noise goes away immediately when the engine shuts off. It never makes the noise when the ICE is off.

 

I'm afraid to let a dealer go on a fishing expedition with it but I realize that may be the only way to get peace of mind.

Edited May 22, 2018 by sschnath

[brobeo]

​Ford is going to replace my transmission under warranty. Dealer had to send Ford pictures or transmission internals. Turned out to be a bad bearing. Likely caused by dirt/old fluid. I'm not a fault because owners manual reads to replace fluid at 100K. I have 83K miles. The dealer said they recommend changing fluid at 60K. Seems that would be a hard sell, considering owners manual 100K recommendation. New tranny coming from MI. Should get my car back next week. Thankful for the 8 year 100K warranty.

[brobeo]

Got my car back today. It took two weeks but I had a loaner so I'm okay with that. The Noise is gone, car sounds as did when new. Nothing but praise for the dealer, Battlefield Ford of Culpeper, VA.

[billford]

Change the transmission fluid every 2 or 3 years to get maximum life out of it. Only uses about 5 quarts, so the parts are cheap. There is a filter inside, but it can't be replaced without removing and disassembling the trans. The final drive, ring, pinion, differential gears are also in the transmission and metal will flake off due to normal wear. The drain and fill plugs are not magnetized and won't catch any metal floating around. So keeping the fluid clean is important

 

I think the owners manual spec of a fluid change at 150,000 miles is way too long.

[Goopyguy56]

I am suprised it recomends waiting that long for a fluid change. If I end up with a ffh I am definitely gonna have the fluid changed more frequently

[Texasota]

It's a bearing quality or lubrication problem. It's a "Sword of Damocles" hanging over all those models.

Stay calm. The sky is not falling and the world is not ending. Slow deep breaths and keep reminding yourself that you don't own one.

[brobeo]

My car made the noise whenever the gas engine was running, regardless of what gear the tranny was in. I just read TSB 17-0039. Pictured In the TSB is the transfer shaft bearing. While my tranny was apart, the dealer showed me the same bearing from my tranny and said it was the problem/had failed. I spun and the lifted the bearing with my hand and it was bad. And it did have "noticeable roller bearing damage".

 

https://ford.oemdtc.com/TSB/17-0039.pdf

 

My '14 was pretty quiet until about 100K miles. Really noticed it this morning in the cabin (windows up) at 139K. That being said, I'm not sure the noise I started this post about is the same noise brobeo was experiencing.

 

If his problem is related to the TSB mentioned in one of the other posts then my situation may be different and hopefully not transmission related.

 

The TSB says the noise will not be made when the car is in park or neutral. Mine does make the sound when it's in park. I will try to make a clip of the noise over the next few days and post it here for reference.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 28, 2018 by brobeo

[sschnath]

I'm scheduling an appointment with my local dealer. Hope it's unrelated. We'll see. Glad you were able to get yours sorted out and under warranty too.

[brobeo]

I'm scheduling an appointment with my local dealer. Hope it's unrelated. We'll see. Glad you were able to get yours sorted out and under warranty too.

[brobeo]

So what became of your appointment?

[sschnath]

So what became of your appointment?

 

Trying to find time to get it over to the dealer - it's not something they can look at on a Saturday morning. Still on my to do list. I will post the results when I do - it may be a couple of weeks yet.

[sschnath]

Finally got it to the dealer today. It's the transmission. They quoted about $6300 to replace. Time to say goodbye to the Fusion.

 

I was considering replacing it with an MKZ. Not any longer.

Edited July 26, 2018 by sschnath

[sschnath]

Just pulled the trigger on a used transmission - was able to find one with only 10K miles on it. I won’t be installing it until December but I’ll have it in hand in case the original lets go sooner. It is really loud now and there is an occasional slight slip but it does not feel like it’s in danger of failing imminently. I’m at about 153K miles on the original now.

 

The replacement comes from a Fusion that was assembled in July 2014 so it's likely affected by TSB14-0214 so I'm considering an update of the transfer shaft while everything is apart. Does the damper housing and transfer shaft normally come as part of the transmission assembly or does that have to be purchased separately?

 

If it's a separate part, has anyone purchased the transfer shaft kit referenced in the TSB? Wondering how much extra cost that would add.

 

I got a 3-year warranty on the transmission incl parts and labor. It's not a Ford reman part but purchased from a very reputable salvage yard.

 

I'll probably put another 15K-20K miles on the replacement transmission in the next year and then I'll be surprised if it sees more than 8K-10K miles/yr. after that over the next several years. If the transfer shaft comes as part of the transmission it will likely outlive the rest of the car. If it doesn't come with the transmission then I will likely go ahead and replace it.

 

I'll also be checking to make sure it gets any updated seals per the recall for that problem.

 

Am I missing anything?

[lolder]

The transmission is all one unit and would not normally be apart when installing. There is no way to know if transmissions made as late as 2016 will have the bearing problem. The TSB would not have been done unless it was taken in. I think you would have to have the VIN number of the car it was in to check the TSB. If you can't verify you should probably take it apart and do it. These transmissions should have lasted forever but for Ford screwing up a bearing.

[sschnath]

I do have the VIN from the car it was attached to and the assembly date. I'm going to see if my dealer can look up the history. Until I find out differently I'm assuming it hasn't been touched.

[sschnath]

Turns out the transmission I'm getting is from a '14 C-Max. One open but unrelated recall on the donor vehicle and the transfer shaft recall doesn't apply -- the donor vehicle was manufactured on 7/9/14 in Michigan which is outside the affected window. This should be "plug and play" although I know some re-programming will be required.

[Sychie]

On 4/23/2018 at 2:54 AM, lolder said:

The water pump(s) are electric.

What are the recommendations for replacing the water pump?

[lolder]

 

On 4/3/2020 at 2:00 PM, Sychie said:

What are the recommendations for replacing the water pump?

I would think when it fails.

Edited April 14, 2020 by lolder